99ers Produce Poignant Video

Connie Kaplan and other "99ers" -- people who have used up the maximum 99 weeks of unemployment available in some states without finding work -- have teamed up to produce a poignant video about their own no-good situation.

"20 years in the construction and engineering field," says a hard-hatted 99er standing beneath the butt of the charging bull statue near Wall Street in Manhattan. "Interior designer, 22 years," says a woman holding a TIER 5 sign.

"The bull on Wall Street is a popular tourist attraction," says a subtitle. "Touching it is supposed to bring you money."

"Connie Kaplan, corporate librarian on Wall Street for 25 years," says Kaplan, who has lobbied in person for help from Washington.

The video asks Congress to pass pending legislation in the House and Senate that would give 99ers an additional 20 weeks of benefits. Unemployed folks have lobbied intensely for the bill, but it's unlikely Congress will find an appetite to create a fifth "tier" of benefits on top of the four tiers that currently exist.